Show me the money! This is a common cry from candidates.
But is there more than money to consider in your job search?
Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting that money isn’t important or that we should all be working for the love of contributing. We all have responsibilities of families and lifestyle to maintain. But seeing your next role in terms of money is short sighted and can have negative spin offs longer term.
How can this be?
- Your CV tells a story of your experience. Your movement from one company to the next is your story of growth in experience and skills particularly if you remain within the same industry.
- Movement outside your industry or sideways within your industry raises questions about why this occurred. Your motivation for chasing the dollar by being prepared to change the direction of your career will always stand out on your CV.
- Often I’ve heard candidates say they regret accepting a role for money. Reasons for this vary from the lack of career growth opportunities or difficulty to move the product. Really most common is that the job didn’t live up to expectations.
It is really important in your career to think ahead, plan your career, not deviate too much within the industry, having a goal in the future to work towards.
How do you do that?
- Consider the experience you have currently. Where are your gaps? How do you fill the gaps with your next role?
- What will be the potential of the job? Where could it lead? Think one step beyond the next step.
- To help with that, imagine yourself in 5 years from now. Do you want to be working in the same role as now? Do you want responsibility? Leadership? Do you want to stay within the industry? In the same role?
- Possibly one of the hardest questions to answer is about your long term goals. It’s a bit like deciding on Superannuation when in your twenties. But equally important as decisions on Super is the direction of your career. What are your aspirations?
When considering these things the focus on salary is reduced, not forgotten, but considered along with other factors equally important to you in your career plan.
What are your thoughts on motivation by salary? How important to you is salary in your decision to accept a job?
Image: www.123rf.com Copyright: <a href=’http://www.123rf.com/profile_dvarg’> / 123RF Stock Photo</a>
